Sodium fluoride (NaF ; Cas No. 7681-49-4) is used in fluoridating municipal water supplies, resulting in chronic exposure of millions of people worldwide.

Because of a lack of pertinent developmental toxicity studies in the literature, sodium fluoride was administered ad libitum in deionized/filtered drinking water (to mimic human exposure) to Sprague-Dawley-derived rats (26/group) on Gestation Days (GD) 6 through 15 at levels of 0,50,150, or 300 ppm and New Zealand White rabbits (26/group) on GD 6 through 19 at levels of 0,100,200, or 400 ppm.

Higher concentrations via drinking water were not practicable due to the poor palatability of sodium fluoride.

Drinking water (vehicle) contained less than 0.6 ppm sodium fluoride (limit of detection) and sodium fluoride content of the feed was 12.4 ppm fluoride (rats) and 15.6 ppm fluoride (rabbits).

Maternal food, water, body weights, and clinical signs were recorded at regular intervals throughout these studies.